


Hurricane Stiles

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Erica Reyes, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dead Sheriff Stilinski, Derek is a Failwolf, Derek is confused, Embarrassed Derek, Embarrassed Stiles, Erica Reyes & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Fluff, Isaac doesn't mean any harm, Jealous Derek, M/M, Mermaids, Merperson Stiles Stilinski, Nymph Stiles Stilinski, Protective Derek, Protective Jackson, SO MUCH FLUFF, Werewolves, but he likes to be called a sprite, dead vernon boyd, im sorry, its cute shut up, jackson and stiles bromance, just a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2015-04-21
Packaged: 2018-03-25 02:24:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3793102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek finds a very sassy, very tempermental mermaid trapped in his fishing nets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hurricane Stiles

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is a little one shot I wrote. I swear my other stuff is more thought out and planned, but I sort of just wrote this one today, and figured I'd post it. Don't expect too much, it's a little fast and fluffy.

“Will you please just go check the nets?” Isaac whines, “I’m so tired of deer, Derek.”

Derek stares at him, making sure he realizes how spoiled he sounds. 

“I know, I know. You’re an amazing hunter, and we all appreciate it, but _Derek_ ,” here comes that whiny tone again, “It’s all we’ve had in a _month_ , because there’s no god damn grocery store in the middle of nowhere!”

Derek hates to admit he’s right, because he is. They’d moved out to basically the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forest for miles, because Derek had wanted that. And they did it, for him. He thought surely he’d lose them, but the pack was more loyal than Derek had thought, or wanted to think, and came with him. He cried happy tears in private.

Their neighbors were very, very limited, and the nearest town was fifteen miles away. It was the way Derek wanted it to be. They grew some of their own crops, and vegetables (Erica had a green thumb from helping her mother). 

The house was a good size, updated, and home-y. 

( “What is this place?” Erica had asked once they first stepped in, large boxes in hand. 

“My family used to own a beach house,” Derek said. “I inherited it.”

“There’s a beach around here?!” Isaac sputtered, “Awesome!”)

So they survived mostly by themselves. They’d only been here a few weeks, four, to be exact. Derek was still teaching them how to hunt, and there was apparently an over-population of Deer, so that was the majority of what they were eating. Derek didn’t mind at all; he loved it. 

But the third week, Isaac and Erica had gotten back from town with a net in the back of the truck and big grins. So far, it’d been nothing, but they had checked every few days hopefully. 

“Fine,” Derek grumbled, dropping the deer on the floor. “I’ll go. But we’re still keeping this meat. Start cooking.”

The two nodded, Erica already using a claw to cut open the deer’s stomach. 

 

Derek began taking a long walk to the beach (he wasn’t worried. If they got hungry enough, they’d just eat the deer and be done with it), glancing at a squirrel that clutched the tree, stilling. She probably thought if she didn’t move, Derek couldn’t see her. He would’ve tried to catch the thing, but it wasn’t worth it. Too much work for too little meat. Deer, however, could keep them fed for days. 

He sighed happily. Leisurely wandering through his property was one of his favorite things to do. Derek especially loved the part where the forest met the ocean. The sound of the waves rolling against the sand was one of his favorites, because it was new. He had rarely visited the beach as a kid, or even as an adult, and it held no foul, or even good, memories. He wasn’t tied to it in any way. 

And that felt great. 

 

He sighed when he stepped into the water and the bottom of his jeans clung to his legs. He hadn’t been dressed for this at all. Just a black shirt and jeans, because, Derek. 

He waded into the ocean until it hit his knees, reaching down and pulling at the rope. He jumped in surprise when it pulled back. He followed the line, pulling roughly. The struggle continued, even more than before, and Derek wondered what the hell they’d caught. 

His heart beat a little faster when he saw a glimpse of a huge… tail? 

Had they caught a shark? Derek nearly grimaced. He gave it another yank, pulling it upwards in an attempt to carry it, but it was too heavy. That was another bad sign. The little tug of war continued for another fifteen seconds, and then it stopped. 

He reeled it in dragging the large net closer to him with less of a struggle. Whatever animal in there sure put up a hell of a fight. 

His eyebrows drew together when he saw a tail. It was a pinkish orange, a strange color for a –

Derek’s mouth dropped. 

That was not a fish. 

 

~~~

 

Derek stumbled back, falling into the water on his ass. That was a mermaid! A mermaid. An honest to god half human and half fish, mermaid. 

Of course it was. 

 

He hesitantly neared the net again. The thing had stopped moving, and Derek wondered if it was alive. He breathed in sharply, daring to touch the net. 

The mermaid twitched, then, launching out of the water with a gasp, struggling. The nets had tangled all over its body, from head to… fins. 

The creature flailed, and even Derek could tell it was just wasting its energy. 

Suddenly, the mermaid’s head snapped over to him, and it gasped, probably trying to move away, but only succeeding in worsening the net situation. 

“Let – let me help you,” Derek said, surprising himself. The mermaid looked reluctant, and Derek suddenly realized it was a he, with short, matted hair large brown, honey eyes. He flicked open his hand of claws, prepared to cut the rope around him when he heard the loud, quick heartbeat. It was frantic, and if he tried, he could probably smell fear on him. He just pressed his lips together, and started sawing off the restraints. 

He didn’t have to even try now, because the scent was so strong. More fear wafted off this boy than he had ever smelt before and he felt an odd pang of guilt and empathy. 

“I’m Derek,” he said gently, his sudden noise surprising the boy and making him flinch. “Do you have a name?”

He was almost ninety percent sure that he wouldn’t understand, that Derek was just wasting his breath, and if Erica caught him he’d be mocked for weeks, but he hoped that his tone indicated less than harmful vibes. 

“Stiles,” the boy croaked, and Derek’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He wanted to ask what the hell kind of name Stiles was, but maybe it was common for sea people. He didn’t know. 

“Oh,” Derek said a little breathlessly, risking a glance up, but still sawing with his claw. The rope was almost cut through. He tried to think of something to say, but his mind was drawing a blank. Stiles was looking at him too, but shifted his eyes quickly. Derek hoped he wasn’t afraid of him, for god only knows what reason. 

Derek pressed his lips together, wondering what proper interaction etiquette was.

“What are you,” Stiles asked after a moment, curiosity in his voice, but a little bit of fear in his eyes. 

“A werewolf,” Derek responded, a little surprised at the question. 

“A wolf?” Stiles brightened a little, then let out a breath, “Oh good, I thought you were a human. That would not have ended well,” he sagged, tail flicking a little bit, and the bitter, pungent scent of fear vanished. 

Derek narrowed his eyes, “You’re more worried about me being a human than a _werewolf_?” he asked reluctantly. That was so parallel it almost made him nauseas.

Stiles looked at him seriously, “Have you ever met a human before?”

Derek squinted, “What?”

“Humans. I’ve heard so many scary things about them. I mean, I know they might be rumors, but I’ve seen some on other beaches before, and they’re _horrifying_. I’m so glad you’re a wolf, Derek.”

Derek felt something weird when Stiles used his name, but brushed it off, because yeah, a mermaid saying his name was weird and unusual. 

“But humans are weaker,” he protested. 

Stiles’ head tilted and he stared at Derek with furrowed brows, “Would you hurt me? _Are_ you going to hurt me?” his tail curled to the right side a little, like he was leaning away from Derek. 

“No,” Derek answered honestly. 

Stiles’ tail righted itself. “See? Supernatural are supposed to stick together, Derek. It’s practically a law.”

Derek wanted to snort. “I’ve fought more supernatural creatures in my lifetime than I can remember.”

Stiles looked shocked at this, but not horrified, “Really? Like what? What else is out there? Do vampires actually exist? What about shape shifters? What kind are there? I bet there’s a lot. Are there any with super powers? I bet you’ve fought off a lot of villains. If you’re the hero type, which I think you are. I mean, you’re helping me right now! Unless you’re the villain, and you’re fighting off heroes, which, hey, I respect some of that. IF you have a good backstory and motive. But not if you’re just doing it because you’re bored. Everyone’s a hero in their own mind, right?”

Derek laughed a little at Stiles’ rant, and Stiles beamed at him. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’m evil,” he told Stiles, who looked more than intrigued. Derek stared at him, his claws still sawing at the rope on Stiles’ waist. “Am I the only other supernatural being you’ve ever seen?”

Stiles rolled his eyes, “What? Of course not, Derek.” His heart beat was off. Lie. Derek raised an eyebrow. “Okay, fine,” he groaned, “No. I mean, I’ve heard of a few, but there’s no way for me to actually encounter one.”

Derek nodded, sighing in relief when another rope broke. 

“I didn’t mean to get this close to shore,” he sighed, squirming a little bit and gesturing to the binds he was tangled in. “I didn’t know what it was. It’s just… It’s so shiny.”

Derek scoffed, “You got tangled in a fish net because it was shiny?” Stiles glared at him.

“Well, yeah. I like it, okay. Or I _did_ , before it betrayed me,” he hissed the last part at the rope. “But better me than some other poor creature,” he glared at Derek again, crossing his arms.

“You… What? The fish?”

“Yes. The fish, Derek. You’re planning on murdering innocent little reptiles?”

Derek snorted, “You’re the only thing we’ve caught, ever.”

Stiles growled, “So?”

“You’re the only thing _not_ smart enough to stay away from the fish net, Stiles,” Derek returned sharply. 

“Okay, fair, but what if a turtle had been caught in there?”

“We wouldn’t have eaten a turtle, Stiles,” Derek returns, a smile on his face. “We also won’t eat a mermaid, so you and your turtles are safe.”

Stiles stiffened, a new tone and vibe changing the mood completely. He hissed, hands clenching tightly. He snatched his tail away, Derek’s claw accidentally scratching his tail from the sudden movement. 

“Stiles?”

“I knew it,” Stiles seethed, betrayal and pain on his face, “I knew it. _Jackson sent you._ Of course he did. You’re a human, aren’t you?! Go to the desert, you asshole!” Stiles hissed, thunder suddenly booming from above, and Derek hoped that was just a coincidence. When heavy raindrops started pelting a second later, he knew it wasn’t. 

“Stiles, what are –“he tried to say, but there was splash, and Stiles was swimming away, the roped still tangled around his tail. Thunder and lightning filled the sky quickly, drenching Derek. The waves were building up quickly, and before he knew it, a ten foot waved was fifty feet away. He sprinted out of the ocean, figuring it to be better if he just went home, and away from the mermaid’s home. 

He wondered what the hell just happened, and what he had done wrong. 

 

…

 

“Was there anything there?” Isaac said hopefully, Erica watching with wide eyes, though it was obviously a no, since Derek stood there empty handed and drenched to the bone. He glared, storming upstairs to take a shower, not caring that there was lightening. 

He was upset, confused, and frustrated. 

How could he not be?

 

~~~

 

Stiles was too angry to think clearly anymore. 

He swam as fast as he could to Jackson’s beach, a good thirty minute commute usually, but he used sea currents to get him there in ten. He didn’t know he held this much power, but he also hadn’t ever been this angry before. 

Leave it to Jackson, Satan in a polo, to trick him into trusting a human. 

He swam into the little cave Jackson has leading into his house, like an underwater tunnel, because he’s actually half human too, and spends most of his time out of water. When he is in the water though, he’s terrorizing Stiles. 

“Jackson!” Stiles roared as soon as he surfaced. Jackson isn’t in this part of his house, but he knows he’ll be heard. “Jackson, get your slimy ass in here right fucking now!”

A minute later, the door is yanked open, by Jackson who looks very annoyed. “Why the hell are you in my house?”

“You know what you did!” 

“What?”

Stiles flipped up his tail, that’s still tangled in netting, “This, you motherfucker!”

Jackson looked confused, his eyebrows pulling together. “You got caught in a net?”

“Yeah, the one _you_ put there! And I met the human you sent,” he hissed. “Derek, was his name? And now I’m here to fuck you up.”

“Stiles, wait,” Jackson says, a frown on his face. “I didn’t… I didn’t sent anyone and I didn’t wrap you in a net.”

“You expect me to believe that? Who else would’ve done it, you asshole?”

“Stiles – “

“I know it was you,” Stiles said, voice quieting, but no anger diminishing, “He called me a mermaid. To my face!”

Jackson snorted a laugh, “You are kind of a mermaid.”

“I was trapped in the net for three days, Jackson! You think this is fucking hilarious, don’t you? _I almost died_!”

Jackson’s smirk fell off his face, and something that looked like guilt clouded his face for a minute, “Stiles, I – You know I wouldn’t do that. No matter how lame you are, I wouldn’t _kill_ you. I didn’t put those nets there.”

“And the human?” Stiles snapped, fingers digging into his palm. 

“I didn’t do that, either,” Jackson’s face hardened all of a sudden, “Did he hurt you?”

“Like you care,” Stiles spat.

“ _Did he hurt you_?” Jackson repeated, firmly, and a fire in his eyes, “Where is he?”

Stiles turned around, clenching his teeth. It wasn’t Jackson. He didn’t know what to think. “It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving.”

 

“Wait!” Jackson said quickly, and Stiles paused briefly, though everything told him to leave. “Wait here. Please.”

Stiles would’ve splashed water in Jackson’s face and ditched as quickly as he could, but Jackson had never, in his entire existence, used the word ‘please’ around him, and it made him curious. Jackson ran out of the room, and Stiles wondered if he should be worried at that. 

He warily sat on the smooth, stone bench built into the Jackson-made cave. 

It was a couple of minutes that went by before he came back, Stiles just staring the shiny gold and silver objects around the room in admiration. The guy had good taste, at least. 

“Hey,” Jackson said, a plate in his hand. Stiles sniffed, wondering what in god’s name that delicious smell that made his mouth watering was. “I, uh, found some pizza, if you want it.”

Stiles shot up, “Pizza?!”

He’d only ever had it twice in his life. It was the best thing in the entire world, he was convinced. He didn’t think he’d ever even see it again – both times were the times he’d stolen some at Jackson’s parties. 

Jackson scoffed, “Yeah,” he passed the plate to Stiles, stepping into the little pool. Stiles jumped when he caught sight of the knife in Jackson’s hand, nearly dropping the pizza. “Calm down, I’m cutting the net off,” he rolled his eyes. 

 

Stiles sighed in relief, though warily watching to make sure he wasn’t going to cut any scales off. He moaned into the pizza, ignoring the look of disgust Jax threw at him. The knife sliced through quickly, and he wondered why Derek took so long doing it. 

“Stiles… Listen, you know I’d never do that, right? I’d never sic a person – a human – on you for some sort of joke. I know we tease and joke around a lot, but I’d never go that far,” Jackson said, a vulnerable look in his eyes. Stiles sensed his guilt and nodded, believing him for some reason. Maybe he was just that great of a person. He finished the pizza and handed the plate back to him. 

“Thanks, really, I appreciate it. But I should go. And thanks for the pizza,” Stiles said, still shocked be how _sweet_ Jackson was being. That was strange. Definitely strange. As in, did someone possess Jackson and forget they were supposed to act mean and rude and horrible? He hoped it’d stop. He didn’t want to actually like Jackson. Ew. He didn’t Jackson becoming his friend, like, ever. 

Jackson nodded, eyeing his stomach warily, “It’s fine. Just, uh, eat something, already,” Jackson looked away quickly. “You’ll be even more of a mermaid if you’re that scrawny,” he said, the words without any heat behind it in a feeble attempt to mend his breaking of character. Stiles grinned, ruffling his hair and then taking off back out into the ocean. 

He barely noticed that was called a mermaid.

When he came out of the tunnel, he noticed the storm clouds had vanished, and the sky was clear for the sunset. 

He floated absently, thinking about Derek. 

He wasn’t sent by Jackson. 

He felt guilty all of a sudden. He probably really was a werewolf, and Stiles had scared him away with his meltdown. He fumbled with excuses and explanations as to why Derek acted the way he did and then… 

He remembered Derek said he didn’t know much about Stiles’ kind and - 

Stiles wanted to groan and beach himself in embarrassment. 

…

 

When Erica came home a few days later, it was with a net full of fish. She clearly hadn’t expected anything to be in there, and was forced to just carry the whole thing, but she didn’t seem to mind. 

Derek looked at it in surprise. 

“Look what I got, bitches,” she grinned, tossing the net on the floor. 

“Fish?! No way!” Isaac cheered. 

Derek’s brows furrowed. The net had been cut from where he freed Stiles, and he hadn’t told anyone about it. There was no way the fish had gotten trapped in the net. He skeptically watched as his pack started gutting and cooking them. 

He admitted the fish was good. And fine, Isaac, yes, it was good to have some variety. 

After lunch, he volunteered to take the net back to the ocean, studying the net on his way back. It was only noticeable after he looked for it, but he could see where the net had been tied back together. 

He reconnected the net back to the hooks, and then sitting on the beach, just above where the tide washed in. 

“I know the net didn’t fix itself. And I know Erica and Isaac would’ve told me if they’d seen it torn,” he said loudly. 

“I felt badly,” he heard Stiles’ voice echo across the water. 

“So it was an apology?” Derek raised an eyebrow, glancing around to try and find Stiles. 

“Yeah,” he mumbled, swimming forward into sight. Derek realized he had supernatural hearing to hear from that far away. “I’m sorry I freaked out. I just… No one’s ever really been interested or nice, like, at all, to me, especially not a land creature. I thought Jackson was being an urchin again, I blamed him for the nets and you, and then I found out it wasn’t him, and realize I made a big idiot out of myself, and I’m really sorry I took it out on you.”

Derek blinked, trying to catch up a little. “It’s fine. If you don’t mind, what did I do wrong?”

Stiles’ face flushed with a bright red color, and his tail tucked closely to himself, “It was nothing. I over-reacted, like always. Don’t worry about it.”

That just made Derek even more curious. “Will you tell me? So that I don’t do it again?” Derek realized he’d just insinuated they’d spend more time together and ducked his head a little, not wanting to admit his fascination with the boy.

Stiles looked embarrassed still, shying awkwardly. “You, uh, called me a,” his voice lowered, “mermaid.”

Derek wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but that definitely wasn’t it. His eyebrows raised a little in curiosity. “…Sorry?”

“It’s okay, really. I shouldn’t have reacted like I did, but I was tired and nearly starved to death and scared and,” he stopped, biting his lip. 

Derek frowned, “Starved to death?”

Stiles shrugged, “I was stuck in it for, like, three days.”

“I’m sorry.”

Stiles looked a little surprised at that, “It’s fine. Really. You didn’t mean it, it was my fault after all.”

“Can, I, uh, ask why that word is offensive?” Derek referred back to the original conversation.

Stiles frowned at that, like Derek should already know, but it vanished a few seconds later. “It’s a… Degrading term. I don’t know any land ones I could compare it to, but it… It’s _extremely_ offensive. Don’t let anyone hear you say that, it’s even worse when land beings say it. They’ll make you into Whale Bait.”

“Oh,” Derek said, more than confused. “Well that’s all we _land beings_ really know. And siren. Is that offensive?”

Stiles’ face tightened, “Yeah. I’d prefer Sprite, or Sea Nymph.”

Derek nodded, smiling at the boy in amusement. His peach tail flicked, splashing the water a little bit. 

“Do you have any offensive terms?” Stiles asked.

Derek chuckled, “Yeah. A couple. Sometimes people compare us to dogs. That’s annoying.”

Stiles’ head tilted, and Derek realized he probably doesn’t know what a dog is. 

.~.

The pair talked for hours, neither getting bored nor realizing the time. Stiles inched closer without realizing it, as did Derek and before they realized it, Derek was in knee deep water sitting down, and Stiles sitting a foot away. 

 

“So there’s more of you? Nymphs and Sprites?”

“Yeah,” Stiles said, “There’s a school pretty close to here, but it’s not very big. It’s just me, Heather, Danny, and sometimes Jackson. My dad died a few years back, they think a whale got him, so there’s no more adults to steer us away from nets,” he laughed. “How many werewolves are there?”

“In the world? I don’t know. Probably millions. In my pack, only three. Isaac, Erica, and I. We had a fourth, Boyd, but he didn’t make it.”

Stiles frowns at that, and pulls a shell out of the water and into Derek’s hand, “Sorry.”

Derek’s fingers curl around it, and he imagines it being equivalent to a flower. “It’s okay. It hurt, but we got past it.”

“So when you say werewolf,” Stiles interrupts after a brief moment of silence, his attention already turning onto the next topic, and Derek rolls his eyes, bracing himself for whatever strange question is about to come out of Stiles’ mouth. 

That he wants to kiss a little bit. 

What?! No, he didn’t say anything. Leave him alone, okay? He hasn’t been with anyone since Jennifer. It was probably just the physical attraction. Shut up!

~~~

Stiles hummed a tune while collecting an armful of fish, distracted and enjoying his day so far. It’s noon, Stiles’ favorite time of day. He grabs another large fish with the precise dart of hand and tucks it under his arm. The other two squirm and wiggle, but Stiles is stronger. He surfaced distractedly and dumped them into the net, placing them gently, because, yes, they were going to die soon, but he wasn’t heartless. 

That was until he was tackled, and the last fish escaped quickly. He gasped as something landed on top of him – a someone. He tried to squirm out of that someone’s grip, but all he ended up doing was flopping around like the fish he’d caught before. Oh, how the tables have turned.

He tried to scream, but the hand around his throat prevented that. 

Panic built up inside him, and it was suddenly like every defensive mechanism he’d ever learned, every tip anyone had ever told him, had suddenly gone out the window. All he could think was: there’s someone choking me. He tried to recall anything – surely he’d been taught what to do if a land being was hurting you. 

Use your strength! 

Stiles channeled his anger, as much of it as he could, and tried to produce something, anything to help him. He tried gasping for air, and pulling the arm off, but it was too strong, and he wasn’t advanced enough to do anything about it. His dad was supposed to train him before he died.

Panic rose in him, as he realized this might be the end. He was going to die, beached and being strangled by a land being. He flopped uselessly in the sand, trying to use his water affinity to do _anything_. 

He only realized it worked when he heard thunder, and then a couple drops of rain. The hand eased a little, accidentally, and he got in a good gasp of air. 

The storm progressed at an alarming rate, faster than it had when he was angry the other week. 

The wind howled, making it colder than before and large gusts of air hit him. He heard the waves multiplying in size, and the water splashing against the bottom of his tail. The land being came into sight, but his vision was fuzzy. It growled in his face, and Stiles flinched back. 

The hand was suddenly removed off his neck, and he gasped for air, his vision slowly returning. He blinked a couple times, squinting when he saw…. Jackson? Jackson was fighting off his attacker with all he had, snarling in his face. 

He managed a few good shots to his face and claws slashing on his chest. 

Stiles coughed, choking out a raspy, “Jackson!”

Jackson snapped his head to Stiles, who was beached and helpless, and suddenly he was by his side. “Stiles! Stay with me, you’re going to be fine!”

Stiles’ eyes felt heavy and he felt like he was dying. Jackson picked him up, Stiles going limp after putting an arm around his neck. 

…

 

There was a low, low sound of thunder distantly. He barely heard it. It was weak. That was strange. The paper had guaranteed no rain at all this week. He glanced out the kitchen window, looking up from his book. 

It went silent.

He read a few more pages when suddenly a louder rumble of thunder jarred him, and then a few rain drops trickled down the window. 

“Ugh,” Erica huffed from her phone, “I hope it doesn’t pour. Isaac’s checking the net.”

Derek stilled. 

“Isaac left?”

“Yeah. It’s not night, he’ll be fine,” she said, like Derek was stupid. “No one’s out here for miles, anyways. That’s why we moved here, right?”

Derek tensed even more.

Another flash of lightening and then a loud, loud roar of thunder shook the house. Erica looked up, eyes wide. 

Derek’s chest felt heavy with worry. He bolted the house, not even bothering to shut the door. He ran as fast as he could to the beach. Something was wrong. 

 

The thought was confirmed when a heavy wind nearly knocked him down. He sprinted faster, anxiety rolling off him. 

Stiles. It was definitely Stiles. It was too quick and too much to be just the weather. This was more intense than when he’d first met him. 

“Stiles!” he yelled, but his voice was muffled in the strong winds and breeze. He finally made it to the sand, eyes scanning the beach.

Stiles was in the arms of someone, unmoving. His tail hung off the person’s arm, like deadweight, arm wrapped around the man’s shoulder. Derek growled, wondering who the hell that was. If they hurt Stiles, he’d rip their throat out. 

The man looked like he was saying something to Stiles, or at least trying to, worry written along his features, and then it hit Derek – that wasn’t just a stranger. That was Jackson. Jackson Whittemore. The Kanima! He turned abruptly, sprinting into the ocean, and trying not to get knocked over by the huge waves. Derek wasted no time in following. 

“Stiles!” he heard Jackson calling, arms around him to make sure he wouldn’t float away. The man held onto him as he ducked under the next wave. 

Stiles jolted up after coming up from the wave, eyes wide.

 

“Stiles!” Jackson said again, panic laced in his tone. “Stiles, are you okay?!”

Stiles coughed, wheezing clutching Jackson’s for support, his tail unmoving still, like couldn’t support himself. 

“Stiles, listen to me,” Jackson said, still yelling, “I need you to calm down, calm the storm!”

Stiles looks around himself, terrified, the wind only picks up. They have to duck under a wave a second later. When they resurface, Jackson yells again, telling him to calm down. 

It doesn’t work, Stiles is too panicked. 

Derek was about to do something, approach him, when suddenly he froze. Jackson’s lips are on Stiles’. Derek felt his heart being ripped out as he stood frozen, everything goes silent for a few seconds. 

_Jackson is kissing Stiles_. 

 

He tried to feel angry, go over there and stop it, but he just _can’t_. He was broken. Like someone punched him in the gut, because it _hurt_. 

The storm died down, the winds calming and waves relaxing instantly. 

It’s not that big of a deal, he told himself. It’s not. Jackson was just doing it to help Stiles, right? Yeah, it’s fine. It meant nothing. 

But if it really meant nothing, why did Derek feel like he was going to cry?

~~~

Jackson pulled back quickly, relief on his face as he takes in his surroundings. Stiles panted, trying to breathe normally again. 

“Are you okay?” Jackson asked quickly, features softer than ever. 

Stiles nodded, putting a careful palm on his face, “Thank you.”

Jackson nodded, breathing heavily himself, and then let go of Stiles, turning around abruptly with tense shoulders, and a defensive position. Stiles peeks from around him, anxiety rising in his chest. He hopes it isn’t his attacker, and fear wells up quickly only to be demolished quickly. 

“Derek!” he rasped in relief, flicking his tail and swimming to his werewolf. 

“Derek?” Jackson said at the same time.

“Jackson?!” another voice yelled from behind Derek. 

“Jackson.” Derek said stiffly, shortly after Jackson. 

Stiles paused before asking: “You know each other?”

 

And that’s how he ended up, five minutes later, in knee deep water, surrounded by three werewolves and a Jackson. 

The female and his attacker sat the furthest away, on the sand but still close. Jackson and Derek were in the water next to him, which makes him feel safer. He hid behind Derek, whimpering a little.

“Alright, someone tell me what the _hell_ is going on,” Jackson grounded out, jaw clenching. 

“We thought you moved,” the female said, glaring. 

“I did! Here! Away from the werewolf drama!”

“We did too,” the female snapped back. 

Jackson growled, clearly annoyed, “You had the whole god damned world to pick from, and you choose to move right next to me?”

“It wasn’t intentional,” the younger boy, his _attacker_ , said. Stiles flinched.

“Now that we’re all caught up, what happened here?” the girl said impatiently, “What the hell happened here? One minute it’s sunshine and the next it’s hurricanes and a mermaid!”

Stiles twitched, sinking lower in the ocean when she says that. Stiles was confused. Why do they hate him? He wondered what he did to make the land beings do this. His shoulders sagged, because he can’t find the energy to be angry. 

He darted away from Derek and behind Jackson, his fingers gripping Jackson’s wet shirt until his knuckles are white. 

Jackson growled at her,(because apparently he’s the only one that can insult Stiles) and Derek hissed, “Erica!”

“What?” she squinted, and Stiles couldn’t see her, but he has a feeling she was looking his way. His tail tucked into himself, trying to fit behind Jackson. 

“Isaac almost murdered him,” Jackson said, voice still growly, to Derek. Stiles peeked from behind Jackson.

Derek’s eyes went wide and then angry as he snapped his head to Isaac. “Did you hurt Stiles?”

Isaac fidgeted, guiltily nodding. Derek growled lowly. “I didn’t mean to!” Isaac said quickly, “I – I didn’t know he was a friend, I swear. I just… I saw him by the net, and the instincts took over, I’m sorry! I never would’ve hurt him otherwise.”

“It’s the full moon,” Erica said quietly. 

“You think that’s an excuse? He’s not a new werewolf! He should have it under control! It’s not even out yet,” Jackson hissed.

Isaac looked guilty, hanging his head. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Stiles felt empathetic. Jackson looked like he’s about to go off again but Stiles interrupts, “It’s okay,” Stiles says, voice small. He just wanted to get over it.

Everyone was surprised at him, and he reluctantly released himself Jackson, allowing himself to be seen by them. Erica gasped and Isaac wouldn’t look at him. 

He wanted to hide again. 

“I’m so sorry,” Derek said quietly, and Stiles offered a small smile. 

“So, small world, huh,” Stiles said, breaking the silence. It’s still tense. He tried. 

“I’m guessing you weren’t friends?”

Jackson still had his bitch face on, “Far from it.”

“That’s a story for another day,” Derek said, warily glancing at Jackson. 

Stiles sighed, flipping onto his stomach, using his elbows to keep him in place. “Anyone hungry? I can go catch some fish.”

 

~.~

Apparently, they were trying to outlast each other. Jackson wouldn’t leave, and neither would Derek, and if Derek wouldn’t leave, neither would Erica, and Isaac, well… Derek had sent him home.

There was a small fire on the beach, and Stiles rested his elbows in the sand, waves washing onto him as he watched in amazement. “It’s so _pretty_ ,” he said dreamily, watching it turn from red to yellow to orange, and everything in between. 

Erica snorted, and Stiles splashed her with his tail. She gave him a playful glare. 

 

“It’s pretty weird that _you’re_ the one staring at me,” Erica said a couple minutes later when Stiles’ attention had shifted from the fire. 

Stiles ignored her, staring at the beautiful curls in Erica’s hair. He barely ever saw dry hair, and it was just so amazing. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen dry hair,” he defended, “And Jackson got all bitchy about it last time.”

“Okay, I’m not apologizing for not wanting you to freak out Lydia.”

“But her hair, Jackson! It was _red_!”

“You can have a hair fetish all you want, but you’re not touching my girlfriend’s hair.”

Stiles pouted, flicking him with water. “It’s not like I’m trying to sponge her,” he rolled his eyes. 

“You better not be, Stilinski. You better not be,” he narrowed his eyes. Stiles scoffed, not willing to admit that he’d had a thing for her before he met an attractive land creature. He blushed a little bit just thinking about it. 

Suddenly, his face lit up with an idea, “Erica! Can I touch your hair? Please?!” Erica was surprised, that much showing on her face. She nodded after a second. 

“But – only if I can touch your tail,” she grinned. Stiles nodded without hesitation, his tail twitching with excitement. “Come here, you beautiful shell,” he said impatiently, waiting to stroke her hair. She laughed, sitting down in the water. 

They both gasped at touching each other, then simultaneously grinned. 

He vaguely saw Derek smiling from his peripheral vision. 

“I’m sorry about Isaac,” Erica quietly said while touching the bottom of his tail. Stiles shrugged, not dwelling anymore. It was okay. He didn’t really mean it as a hate crime. 

Stiles swallowed, releasing her hair after a moment and squirming on her lap. “Did you… Uh, did you really mean what you said about calling me a mermaid?”

Erica’s brows knitted together and she looked at Derek with confusion. 

“I didn’t tell her about you,” Derek pipes up, moving from the fire to sit on the shore line. “She doesn’t know its offensive.”

“It’s offensive?” Erica repeated, “Oh. Uh, Sorry. Mer _man_?”

Stiles held back his gasp at the word, trying not to be offended and instead sighed, “No mer. You can just call me a sprite.”

“Oh,” Erica said, then returned to smiling, albeit confused. “Okay. Sprite. Okay, do you mind if I ask you how sprite babies are produced?”

Stiles laughed, “If you don’t mind if I ask you how werewolf babies are produced.”

Erica laughed, shaking her head, “Okay, okay, never mind.” They chatted for a few more minutes, then she leaned in and whispered in his ear, “I think someone else wants a turn.” 

 

Derek finally relaxed, but only because Stiles was in his arms. Erica giggled and Jackson skeptically watched. Stiles wasn’t stupid; he knew what was going on. Especially as Derek made it a point to cuddle with Stiles and kiss his cheek, all while challengingly holding Jackson’s eyes. Stiles laughed, running his fingers through Derek’s hair. 

“He had a girlfriend,” he mumbled.

Derek grunted.

“I don’t want Stilinski, Derek! You can have him just leave me alone, jeez. We are _never_ talking about the kiss, ever again.” His eyes go wide and face horrified, “And don’t tell Lydia!”

Stiles breaks out into laughter. He’s totally going to tell Lydia.


End file.
